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Prevention and Management

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a virus that spreads easily and is a leading cause of serious lung infections in infants.1,2 On this page, you’ll discover ways to help prevent and manage RSV infections.

How does RSV spread?

RSV can be spread through droplets from the nose and mouth, which can be transferred via coughs, sneezes, and close physical contact, like cuddles and kisses.3,17
 
An RSV infection can cause common cold-like symptoms.2 Most people will be unaware that they're infected with RSV, which is why it can easily be spread to others.2,4 RSV can survive on hard surfaces, such as toys, cribs, and utensils, for many hours. It can then spread to babies if they touch these surfaces before touching their eyes, nose, or mouth.2, 17

Babies often catch RSV in places such as [daycare centres or playing areas], as well as from older siblings who have been infected with RSV outside the home, such as at school.3

How to help protect babies against RSV

Like most viruses the best ways to prevent transmission are:3

  • Covering your mouth when coughing or sneezing (with a tissue or your elbow)
  • Wearing a mask when you have symptoms to protect other people
  • Washing your hands often with soap and water or using a sanitizer when water is not available
  • Staying home when you/your child are not well

While most cases of RSV infection cause mild disease, severe disease can develop rapidly2,5 and can affect any baby.6-12 So taking steps to reduce the chances of RSV transmission is very important.

Speak to your healthcare provider to learn more.

Monitoring Symptoms

The most common symptoms are RSV are cough, sneezing, wheezing, runny nose, feeling unwell, headache and difficulty breathing. In very young infants symptoms may include irritability, being less active than normal, or refusing to feed. Most children will recover in 3 to 7 days by staying home and resting. Your healthcare provider may prescribe medication to relieve your child’s symptoms. Visit your healthcare provider if your child’s symptoms get worse or do not start getting better after 3 or 4 days. Severely ill children with RSV should be admitted to hospital, the most common complications of RSV are bronchiolitis, bronchitis and pneumonia.3

If you’re worried about your child’s health, seek medical advice. 

RSV disease management

RSV’s contagious period

A person with RSV disease may be contagious days before developing any symptoms.3,17

People are typically contagious for 3 to 8 days, but some babies can be contagious for up to 4 weeks, even after symptoms have disappeared.3,17

timeline RSV disease progression illustration

Adapted from Eiland L. 2009 and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 
When concerned about the health of your child, seek medical advice. 

Please note: This is an illustration of the common pattern of illness due to RSV, but time period and symptoms may vary between individuals.

How long does RSV live on surfaces?

RSV can live on a wide range of surfaces, both hard and soft.3 However, the virus tends to live longer on hard surfaces like plastic toys than it does on soft surfaces like clothes.3 In general, it survives between 4 and 7 hours on surfaces or objects.15 Maintaining good hygiene practices, such as regularly washing your hands with soap and water, and cleaning surfaces, can help reduce the risk of spreading RSV or other viruses.15

RSV isolation period

How long does RSV live on surfaces?

It's possible for anyone to be a momentary carrier of RSV - in other words, they won't display signs or symptoms of the illness, but are still able to pass it to someone else.3

Overall, adults in good health are less likely to have symptoms of RSV compared with higher-risk individuals (e.g., babies, elderly patients, and people with weakened immune systems).16

 

Footnotes & references

RSV, respiratory syncytial virus

  1. Chatterjee A et al. Infect Dis Ther 2021; 10: S5–S16.
  2. Piedimonte G and Perez MK. Pediatr Rev 2014; 35(12): 519–530. 
  3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Symptoms of RSV. Available at https://www.cdc.gov/rsv/symptoms/ (Accessed: July 2025).  
  4. Coultas JA et al. Thorax 2019; 74(10): 986–993.
  5. Centre for Health Protection (DoH HK). Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection 2025. Available at https://www.chp.gov.hk/en/healthtopics/content/24/36.html (Accessed: July 2025).
  6. Reis J and Shaman J. Infect Dis Model 2018; 3: 23–34.
  7. Liu L et al. Front Public Health 2021; 9(587425): 1–10.
  8. Kombe IK.et al. Sci Rep. 2021;11:1463.
  9. Thomas E et al. J Infect Dis. 2021;223(5): 811-817.
  10. Hall CB, et al. N Engl J Med. 1976 Feb 19;294(8):414-9.
  11. Kaler J et al. Cureus 2023; 15: e36342.
  12. Smyth RL and Breary SP. Encyclopedia of Respiratory Medicine. Bronchiolitis, Elsevier Ltd. 2006.
  13. Demont C et al. BMC Infect Dis 2021; 21(1): 730.
  14. Sanchez-Luna M et al. Curr Med Res Opin 2016; 32(4): 693‒698.
  15. Kobayashi Y et al. Pediatr Int 2021; 64(1): e14957.
  16. Hartmann K et al. J Infect Dis 2022; 226(3): 386‒395.
  17. Yu J et al. Emerg Infect Dis 2019; 25(6): 1127‒1135.
  18. Thwaites R et al. Eur J Pediatr 2020; 179(5): 791‒799.
  19. Arriola C et al. J Pediatric Infect Dis Soc 2020; 9(5): 587–595 (Suppl Appendix).
  20. Red Book: 2024–2027 Report of the Committee on Infectious Diseases By: Committee on Infectious Diseases, American Academy of Pediatrics Edited by: David W. Kimberlin, MD, FAAP, Ritu Banerjee, MD, PhD, FAAP, Elizabeth D. Barnett, MD, FAAP, Ruth Lynfield, MD, FAAP, Mark H. Sawyer, MD, FAAP. Available at https://doi.org/10.1542/9781610027373 (Accessed: July 2025).
  21. Eiland LS. J Pediatr Pharmacol Ther 2009; 14(2): 75–85.
  22. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). RSV Prevention. Available at: www.cdc.gov/rsv/about/prevention.html (Accessed: September 2023).
  23. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Immunity Types. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/immunity-types.htm (Accessed: September 2023).
  24. Lambert L et al. Front Immunol 2014; 5: 466
  25. Esposito S et al. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2016; 12(7): 1700–1706.
  26. American Cancer Society (ACS). Monoclonal Antibodies and their side effects. Available at: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/managing-cancer/treatment-types/immunotherapy/monoclonal-antibodies.html (Accessed: September 2023).
  27. Simon AK et al. Proc Biol Sci 2015; 282(1821): 20143085.
  28. Verwey C and Madhi SA. BioDrugs 2023; 37: 295–309.
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